- To satisfy intellectual curiosity. It replaced truth by authority.In the past, natural phenomena were explained by tradition (God), superstition etc. What are the aims of science? Problems with scientific method: Despite these problems, science is widely regarded to be the best worst solution as compared to superstition, for example.It is considered to be the most logical and clear method of obtainingknowledge. This is because the scientific method has the elementof falsifiability. Whether a theory can be proven wrong (or right, for that matter).The usefulness of a theory is the degree to which it is falsifiable. A theory is useless to science, indeed not really a scientific hypothesisat all, if not possible observation could falsify it. The more falsifiable a statement is, the more useful it is to science. Problem of Induction It is based on the Uniformity of Nature (UN) Extends continuity to infinite temporal and spatial circumstances. But what works here and now may not work elsewhere in the future. Inductive reasoning: extends theories on what scientists' finite obervations to infinity. Significance of scientific method(link to science as a body of knowledge) What are the uses of science (body of knowledge)? Now, the scientific method allows us to more accurately acquire knowledge which is in turn used to manipulate the physical world around us for our means. Body of knowledge Facts Laws (Newton Law on Planetary Movement) Theories Manipulation of scientific knowledge for various reasons:enhance our standards of living (medicine/technology)making military weapons (atomic bombs)